LIVING OFF

chapter 1 •SIMPLE DEALINGS•

"Mama?"

Ray tilted his head in confusion, his eyes squinting then his expression horrified.

"Ray..."

Mama frowns, her eyebrows furrowing as she stares at the boy before her.

"Why'd you do that?"

The 7 year old boy shook his head, his eyes glistening with tears dangerously close to falling.

Isabella or Mama isn't fazed at any rate. She trained herself for situations like this and the boy discovering something dreadful by himself isn't something that she would break a sweat, just yet.

Mama doesn't answer, silence settled for a second, neither one uttered a word.

Ray is scared. He knows the answer, he knows all the bad things Mama is doing, in order to keep the orphanage from closing and sending away all his siblings.

Away.

"To keep all of you, to make you all live the life you deserve." Mama answers with a smile.

She doesn't need to explain everything to a child, for this child will soon know what is the truth more than she does.

A familiar click breaks through their ears.

Isabella puts down the telephone, she faces Ray, turning her body and leveling her gaze to his.

"There is another way..." Ray trails off, his eyes wide and mortified.

There is indeed another way but the way that his so called mother chosed was the most practical and logical choice, he couldn't have put up anything against it.

She is gonna be arrested, police is gonna hunt her down, one of these days, Ray knows it.

Or so he thought.

Mama sighs, Ray is her child biologically, no wonder he would catch her.

But Ray doesn't know this, he doesn't have to. He doesn't have to suffer the things she did. She stands up and walks over towards Ray, a gentle expression on her face.

"Will you help me then?" she says, her words floated on the air.

Dealing with the devil, Ray brought his hands to his side, his bangs falling over his eyes, he had been made, he was made by those words.

Words of a warden assigned to a prison full of innocent, unsuspecting sheeps.

"Yes."

A sound of a soft melody was heard.

Fading into their ears.

Turning into a sad smile.

And morphing into a silent cry.

_________________

4 years later.

"Why can't i just win a round?" Emma whines. She pouted, laying down her head on the table.

Ray smirks, of course, she wouldn't win anything against him and Norman, except for physical strength that is.

Beside him, Norman chuckles, picking up the chess pieces and putting them inside the box.

"You're gonna be 'it' when we play tag Emma." Norman slips the box to it's place.

Emma continues to pout, Ray sighs and pats Emma on the back.

"They're waiting for you out there, those kids are gonna burst here if you don't hurry outside." Ray says, walking towards a bookself, he slid the book he is holding, back to its place.